I got my 70-something mom an iBook a couple years ago. She is the paradigm case of someone who knows nothing about technology, and she was able to learn to use it with relatively little hassle. Before the Mac she didn't even know how to type. Now she doesn't go a day without sending & receiving email to/from friends & family. And I have the filters in Mail set up to kill spam and anything with nasty language, so she doesn't get bombarded with that crap.

The Mini would be great for our parents' generation, and with larger screens, can keep up with age-related changes in eyesight.

If your mom/dad/whoever likes to travel or lives in different parts of the country/world at different times of year, an iBook is probably the best solution since they can take the whole thing with them.

But if they stay mostly in one place, then yeah, the Mini is the answer.